Built as the hub for the institute Stanford Bio-X, the James H. Clark Center heralded a new wave of interdisciplinary collaboration when it opened in 2003, and many institutes and universities have since followed its lead. Its architectural design of open-floor plans, bridged walkways and intermingling of labs from multiple disciplines stimulates exchanges of ideas and accelerates discoveries. Bio-X, purposefully located near chemistry, biology, medical and engineering departments, adds organizational focus to joint research. Seed grants, graduate fellowships and venture initiatives have driven early-stage research, forged new areas of study and fostered over 500 interdisciplinary teams. Research breakthroughs include neuron manipulation using light and a quicker, less expensive way to sequence DNA. The once-bold social experiment of putting experts from different fields under one roof is now a proven research paradigm.
Intellectual Bridges
Faculty in Stanford’s seven schools — Humanities & Sciences; Engineering; Business; Law; Medicine; Education; and Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences — are leaders in their fields and work together to trigger new discoveries. More than 40 interdisciplinary degree programs and 18 inter-disciplinary institutes provide physical and intellectual bridges. Educators connect with economists and chemists with clinicians to prepare new generations of leaders.
Interdisciplinary Insight
Scientists have long understood how muscles work, but until a Stanford trio — a professor of bioengineering, an associate professor of biology and of applied physics, and a graduate student in mechanical engineering — developed a powerful, portable microscope system, it wasn’t possible to observe the inner mechanisms of muscles under the skin. The innovation opens windows to how muscles change with strokes and diseases like ALS or muscular dystrophy.
“I like to think of the Clark Center as a kind of Noah’s Ark. The idea was to bring all these people together and encourage them to interact, to tackle and understand life systems’ complexities.”
Carla Shatz, Professor and David Starr Jordan Director of Stanford Bio-X
Kiosk 03 highlighting James H. Clark Center, hub of Stanford Bio-X
